Learning to Heal
by ForTheGlory
Summary: <html><head></head>Edea is learning to master the white mage asterisk and needs some help from the only person who knows how. She is uncertain of her feelings, but surely nothing will happen, right? Edea x Ringabel with some Agnes x Tiz</html>
1. Chapter 1

Learning to Heal

Edea shifted the asterisk between her hands, feeling its cool touch against her tired hands, and sighed. She wanted to learn the white mage job to take some strain off of Ringabel. In battle, it was difficult for him to try to fight, and switch back and forth between white mage as well as spiritmaster. If she learned just the basics, it would be easier to keep the party healthy and moving, even if Ringabel was incapacitated or preoccupied with something else. Just today, they ran across a large pack of Cerberus and were nearly the beasts' lunch. Ringabel had difficulties as he was split off, trying to both keep the fire at bay and heal his allies. Nonetheless, he was a fantastic healer, none of them could deny this. While they now knew he was formerly the Dark Knight Alternis Dim, he refused to don the dark knight armor, much less take up the asterisk. Edea was unsure why, but he had been growing increasingly quiet and reserved as of late. She hated to admit it, but she missed his 'annoying' quirks and teasing. Soft boot steps jolted her from her thoughts.

"You know, I don't think asterisks really work through osmosis. If you keep tossing it around rather than using it, it won't do you any good." Ringabel propped himself beside her, with a slight half grin on his face. She rolled her eyes, but stayed silent. He chuckled and spoke again, this time with a serious tone, "Do you need practice? I can help." She was thrown off by the tone and turned to snap at him, sure he was trying to pass off a double entendre, when her words caught in her throat. She hadn't noticed it earlier, but he had a vicious wound on his leg. It had clotted, thankfully, but it still needed tended to.

"Ringabel! Why did you take care of that right away? It's gruesome!" She softly chastised him, more out of concern than annoyance. He shifted back into his usual nonchalant mood,

"I knew you needed the practice, so I held off. You'll never get better with the asterisk if you don't use it. May as well let you do it." She looked at his trousers, a bloody, torn mess. She wasn't sure how bad the actual wound was underneath it all.

"Uh…well…are you sure? I mean…I-i've never done anything worse than a scrap or a minor cut. I don't know if-"He held up a hand and put on a sly grin.

"Now, no negative attitude, my dear. You'll never know if you don't try. Better to do it now than in a dire situation." She ground her teeth and balled her fists.

"So long as you're sure…Don't blame me if you lose your leg!" She held up her hands, surrendering. He laughed,

"Do you really think I'd let you ruin my perfect body so terribly? I'm not that terrible a teacher." She blushed and rolled her eyes, glad it was dark.

"Shut up, Ringabel. Now come on, let's go clean you up." She grabbed his hand and felt him tense. "Worried now?" He gave a nervous laugh and waved a hand carelessly.

"Not at all!" His face said otherwise, but she sighed and brushed it off. They made their way to the cabins, and she gripped the asterisk in her other hand, tightly. Why was she so worried? She could do this, she was a fierce warrior, on a journey to save the world from darkness. She could handle a little bit of healing. Ringabel cleared his throat after several minutes of silence. "I don't mean to be rude, Angel, but you're crushing my hand." She yelped and released his hand as though it burned her.

"I'm so sorry! Ah, there's no way I'm going to be able to heal! I can't even walk without breaking your hand…" They stopped in front of the cabins and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"You'll do fine! There's a gentle, feminine touch inside you somewhere and we're going to find it." He winked and she threw a punch, which he dodged and then ducked inside the room, with surprising agility despite a wounded leg. She raised a finger, her heart pounding. (Why was it doing that?)

"No funny business, Ringabel!" He feigned a hurt look and plopped himself on the edge of the bed.

"I'm hurt you think such a kind gentleman would even attempt such a dastardly thing!" He put his hand over his forehead and fell back into the plush, down cushion.

"Whatever. Find yourself some new pants while I grab some supplies. Those are absolutely ruined." He sat up and looked down, surprised to see the ruined pants. They were covered in mud, blood, and torn all over. There was no saving them. He groaned,

"There goes a perfectly good set of pants! We'll have to stop in Florem, I'm starting to run low. I can't very well go without pants." She rummaged around in the washroom, grabbing washcloths, healing materials, and a basin of hot water. She activated the asterisk, and quickly whipped off the conjured hat. An absolutely terrible outfit all together, in her opinion. She threw on some pajama bottoms over the overly revealing shorts. She liked the lingerie look, but in this setting it was most certainly not needed, or even appropriate. The top, thankfully, was comfortable to be sleepwear, so she left it. Double checking she had everything (she was practically teetering, making sure she left nothing behind) she came back into the room and busied herself, setting supplies on the table, getting organized. She would take as much as time as she could to put off the process of healing. Finally, she took in a shaky breath and turned to face the silver haired man. She furrowed her brows. He was on his back as he has been, legs dangling off the edge, although now he was softly snoring. Did he really fall asleep?!

"Ringabel! Hey!" She stomped over to him, and poked him. He continued to snore gently, in a deep slumber. Well, at least she didn't have to heal him right away. She thought about turning into bed herself, but then her eyes caught his wound, and she bit her lip. She couldn't leave that unattended to, it could fester overnight, knowing the deadly bacteria that Cerberus claws could hold. She reached out to him and grabbed his shoulder. "Ringabel, please wake up. We need to take care of that…" She held her eyes on his face, waiting for some sign that he heard her. He took in a deep breath and released a long sigh.

"Ahhhh….Edea….." It was soft, but enough for her to hear. She yanked her hand back and covered her mouth in surprise. What was he dreaming about? He couldn't be… She stifled a laugh, remembering a similar dream she overheard Tiz having one night. Thankfully, Agnes was in a deep slumber as well, and even Ringabel hadn't heard, but it was definitely a gruff, husky plea for Agnes that she had heard that evening. She hoped she wasn't intruding on another moment like that one. Whatever the circumstances, it wasn't her business, and she was sure either one would be mortified if they knew she had heard such a thing. She thought it over, and this one, while forlorn and wanting, was not of the same essence that Tiz's had been. There was no doubt when she had heard his dreaming sentiments that he was undoubtedly in an intimate moment. A surprising thing, for a man who was so…innocent in every other moment. She kept it a secret to spare his dignity. Even if she had told Ringabel, she was unsure if he would tease the other man or not.

She took in a breath, hoping that he would not talk anymore while he dreamt, and leaned down to his ear. She was close enough to take in his scent, which was surprisingly intoxicating. "Ringabel, wake up. Wake up, please." She heard a gasp of breath and his eyes flew open. She was suddenly aware of the way she hovered over him, and she straightened, quick enough to throw her back into a cramp. He sat up as well and blinked the blurry sleep vision from his eyes.

"I'm…sorry, did I fall asleep?" She tried to smile reassuringly, but she was sure her look gave away her thoughts.

"Only for a few minutes, I didn't want to wake you, but I was worried about your leg…" He looked at it again, as if he had forgotten it once more.

"Ah yes, my apologies, please continue. I'll try to help you best I can. You've nothing to worry about." She stopped and gave him a look. He paused. "What is it?" he touched his face, "Is there something wrong?" She rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time.

"Your pants, dummy! I can't get at the wound with them on." Her face was hot as she said it, and she turned to the supplies to try to hide.

"Oh…It didn't even cross my mind. You could just cut the fabric around it, after all we're not salvaging them." He spoke with a nervous break in his voice and she whirled around. A large smile broke on her face in disbelief.

"Ringabel! Are you embarrassed to take your pants off in front of me?" She laughed, holding her stomach. He flushed.

"No! Of course not. I just wanted to spare you…" He trailed off thoughtfully, unsure of what to say. She stopped laughing and regained composure, happy butterflies in her stomach, glad the tension had been lifted.

"Oh, spare me, please!" She cried sarcastically, "Just take your damn pants off already." He huffed and stood up, pulling his trousers off carefully. Unable to stop herself, she found her eyes transfixed on him as he undressed. The wound was worse than she imagined, but also, his body surprised her. Just as pale white porcelain as she was, and toned as a man should be. She would never had guessed looking at him with his clothes on, but he was quite built. Not overly so, but shaped and toned from battling. Shiny, thin scars littered his skin. His shirt remained, but pulled up to reveal some of his midriff, and her heard rattled her ribcage. His eyes caught hers, surprised, and she averted her gaze, finally aware of her staring. "Um…" her voice came out shakily. "I suppose we should clean that up, to start with. That bacteria can be nasty." She grabbed the hot water basin and carried it over, careful not to slosh any over herself. She knelt down beside the bed to get a good look at the wound. It was a deep bite, and she suspected the beast had not actually let go, so much as it took a chunk of flesh with it. Her fingers hovered around the edges that were already a deep ugly bruise. "You're lucky the damned thing didn't take out more of your leg. This could've been a much more serious wound." He only gave a small noise to communicate he was paying attention. His eyes stayed on her face, a small blush stood out on his cheeks. He was down to his underwear, conscious of the small bit of fabric that separated the two now. His hands balled up in fists, grabbing the fabric of the bed.

Edea dipped a wash cloth into the steaming water and rung it out. "This might hurt a bit." She warned him.

"If I can take the bite, I'm sure I can handle a little hot water." He said confidently, his voice an unusual pitch. She shrugged and placed the hot rag over the wound. They would need to take this scab off to let the magic work. He hissed at the contact.

"I warned you! It's pretty sore right now. We might be here a while." She began to rub some of the mud away, realizing how thick the scab had grown. It had a bit of a green color, which worried her. She was glad they were taking care of it, at least. It was silent in the room, as she slowly worked the scab away, the water in the basin slowly cooling down. He bled quite a bit as she cleaned it up, but finally she had it opened enough it could be healed. "Ok, I think I'm ready now. Now what?" She looked up at him, she had been constantly aware of how he towered over her kneeling form, even sitting. He licked his lips.

"Right then, you'll need two hands for this, and you should probably use curada. That should at least heal it enough that I won't have to worry about it splitting open. Hold your hands as close as you can without touching." He grabbed hold of her hands, which were childlike in his long, gentle hands. He placed them, hovering over his leg, and she felt a surprising electric feeling between them. She gulped, despite her mouth being dry. "I'm sure you already know, if you touch the wound, you might jolt the muscles and do more harm than good." He held her hands in his over the wound. She nodded and turned her focus to the bite. She took in a deep breath and cast the magic. It glowed dimly, but regardless, she was holding the spell. Her hands shook with nervousness and she twitched unexpectedly. Ringabel cried out and his body closed in on itself. She moved to stop but he held his hand up.

"It's ok, you only surprised me, it didn't harm me." He took in a few deep breaths and smiled shakily. Edea bit her lip in worry, but held the spell as the muscles stitched themselves back. She let go after a few minutes, and there was only a light scab over the once deep wound. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you alright? I'm so sorry, I just-"He cut her off,

"Not to worry, Angel. You did marvelously. You'll master the asterisk in no time at all." He flashed her a smile and she could only stare in worry. He was lying, she hadn't actually done any harm to the wound or muscle, but the pain had been quite harsh, if brief. She stood up and grabbed a few bandages she had set aside, along with some salve. Hopefully, if she had done it correctly, it wouldn't scar too terribly. The bruising was still deep. She knelt back down and spread a gracious amount of salve over the wound. Hopefully the magic spread and healed the bruising as the salve was absorbed. She bandaged it carefully and let out a breath.

"Ok, I think that's it then." Her hands graced over the bandaging. She hoped it held decently.

"As I said, couldn't have done better myself!" She raised a brow, "Well, maybe I could have, but that's beside the point. You did well." His expression was soft and genuine.

"Are you certain? When I touched you…" He took her hands and kissed them,

"A gentle and feminine touch, just as I said." He smiled and winked.

"Ringabel, I'm serious." She frowned.

"As am I, my dear. It was wonderful."

"Don't lie! I really hurt you." He chuckled,

"That? Nothing at all! I've hurt myself healing worse than that. And besides, I needed a good wakeup call." Another wink, and she rolled her eyes.

"Listen, Ringabel, thank you. I mean it." She looked up at him, his face was easy again.

"You needn't thank me, dear. I did nothing of import." She furrowed her brows again,

"Ringabel, that's not at all true. I couldn't have trusted myself with anyone else. Um, that is…You made me sure of myself. Really, thank you." She felt herself drift, slowly, slowly, upwards, her eyes closed softly, and she kissed him. She felt him freeze, and then his hand on her cheek. His lips were soft, velvety, and welcoming. They parted, as did hers, and they explored each other's mouths. Her hand ran through his hair, ruining its perfect structure, as his hands slowly moved over her body. She gave a soft moan against her will, and pulled back quickly, her eyes shooting open. What just happened? "I'm….I'm sorry, I-"There was a pause and she pulled herself off the floor, exiting the room swiftly. She was shaking, as she ran up to the deck of the Grandship. She had kissed him. Why? She didn't feel that way towards him, did she? What was going on? Her hand drifted up to her lips.

"What…"


	2. Chapter 2

She shoveled her food around her plate absent mindedly as Agnes and Tiz conversed quietly beside her. Both held a soft smile and a light flush in their cheeks. It wasn't an exchange between lovers, but a conversation between friends with feelings for one another, whether they would admit to those feelings or not. She frowned even more harshly. Is that what she and Ringabel were? Or was this a lapse in emotion? After all, they had been through quite a lot together…but that logic didn't seem to hold either, as Tiz and she had also shared the journey. She stared at her water, beads of evaporation running down the sides of the glass as it warmed. He was Alternis, there was no denying that any longer, as the evidence had been in front of them only a few days ago. She didn't harbor any feelings for Alternis besides a sort of sibling affection, and frustration in the way he treated her at times. Maybe she was feeling a residual bond with Ringabel then? Even that seemed preposterous. Ringabel was not Alternis, only in looks were they similar. Ringabel was an entirely different man, a different soul.

He didn't wear the heavy black armor of the Dark Knight, he was light hearted and had a sense of humor. He made stupid jokes, chased after women, styled his hair precariously, couldn't shut his damn mouth, and…and…and he was lovely.

'No- what?! Wait, I didn't just think that, no, no no no no no. He's just Ringabel! That's it.' She huffed mentally. She was acting like a buffoon, like one of those girls at finishing school, a place she had vehemently denied, and instead took up instruction with Master Kamiizumi.

"Edea, are…you not hungry?" a soft voice interrupted her thoughts. Agnes and Tiz were staring at her with worried looks. Agnes had her hand on her shoulder.

"Oh um, I guess not. Actually I think I'm going to turn in early. I'm not feeling so well anyways." The vestal's brow wrinkled slightly.

"That makes you and Ringabel, I suppose. He hasn't come down for dinner either." Edea nodded casually,

"Well, you know…it's been an odd few days, you know?" She didn't sound very convincing, she realized, but thankfully the two nodded, agreeing.

"It certainly has…We'll join you after a while then." Tiz's eyes bore into her, as if they could read her thoughts. He did that frequently, probably without realizing it. He practically guilted everyone into spilling their thoughts. Edea averted her eyes, trying to ignore his persuasive gaze, and nodded, leaving her meal behind.

'Jeez, he could get anyone to confess their thoughts with a stare like that…' The cool breeze hit her face, like a silky embrace, as she left the tavern. It felt a little more like home when the cool evenings made their way to her. She stopped and looked over the edge. She could practically sleep outside, in fact. It would be more convenient to avoid Ringabel while she sorted her thoughts, but Agnes and Tiz would be worried and look for her in the middle of the night. Oh well, she would crack open a window, or something.

She slowly cracked the door of the cabin, hoping it would be empty. The lights were off, but Ringabel was already in one of the beds, seemingly asleep, his back to the door. She took in a breath and hoped he was as deep asleep as earlier, as she slowly tiptoed inside. Her bed was farthest back, so she would have to pass him. She held her breath until she reached her bed, and slowly turned towards him. There was only a bit of light from outside hitting his face, his mouth was slightly agape and his face was relaxed, signaling sleep. She let out her breath in relief and quietly pulled off her armor, and slipped into a nightgown. She slid into bed and laid down, her eyes stuck on his face, trying to search her thoughts, that were empty, only sleep on her mind now. In a matter of moments she slipped away and her eyes grew heavy with sleep, finally shutting.

…

He waited, only a few minutes, as her breath steadied and she stilled in her movements, giving way to sleep. His eyes flew open, and he studied her momentarily. 'Definitely asleep' he smiled, a small drool spot forming on her pillow. It was only one of many sleep habits that she had, one of which was sometimes punching the nearest object. Sometimes it was a wall, and other times it was someone's crotch. He hoped he could still reproduce…

He rolled over onto his back and pressed his palms into his eyes. Why had she kissed him like that? The answer should have been obvious, usually when you kiss someone, it's because you have romantic feelings for them. At least, he did. She had pulled away with, what could only be described as a look of horror and shock, and then ran away. He sighed softly, maybe it was only a moment of weakness within her, the timing and atmosphere just right. It may very well never happen again. But ah…it was good, so good. At least it had happened once, but now it left him longing for more. To taste those sweet lips again… He sat up,

"I need a bath…" he murmured to himself in the dark and gathered up his things. Tiz and Agnes weren't back yet, he noticed as he left the cabins, much to his surprise. If anyone was going to have a romance on this ship, it was going to be those two. He kept waiting for the day they would finally confess and share their feelings with one another. Intimately or not, it would be a joyous day. It was too much, watching both of them bumble over one another. He had almost locked them together in the cabins at one point, with Edea's helpful plotting of course. She was just as eager to see the two reveal their feelings.

He finally reached the deck of Grandship and looked out over the water. It seemed peaceful enough, and he was sure it was pleasant. The weather had been surprisingly cooperative as of late. He stepped down and peered inside the tavern, Tiz and Agnes were in a heated conversation, Agnes seemed incredibly focused, listening to every word that the man was stumbling over. Ringabel stared for a moment, both their faces were flushed, and each seemed to struggle with words. Were they drunk? Another presence caught his attention and he whipped around. Datz was leaning over the rail, a pipe in his mouth.

"How goes, Ringabel?" he smiled. Ringabel nodded in his direction, pulling the latched doors open.

"Well, Datz, and you?"

"Oh, just grand, just grand… just admiring the sea tonight. Listening to the two kids flirt and carry on over there." Ringabel raised his brows.

"Really? Anything interesting?" Datz's quiet laughter rumbled.

"Plenty, but I'll save the excitement for later. Going somewhere are ya?"

"Just taking the Eschalot out for a swim."

"A swim? It's colder than blazes out there, you'll freeze your johnnies off!"

"Well, let's hope not…" Ringabel gave a quick salute and descended in the ship. Grandship had plenty of clean water, though none of them could quite figure out how, but he preferred salt water. Besides, much easier to bathe when there's more room than a small wash tub, and one isn't in constant fear of being walked in on. The cool, salty sea was an added bonus, of course.

The Eschalot hit water and he smiled. It was a feeling of true freedom and tranquility being alone at sea. He stripped down to his underwear and dove in. It was cold, but not overly so, and the smooth salt water felt great on his skin. He needed a break from the others sometimes. Time to think, time to relax. The sight of Alternis still troubled him. It was him, it was his face, but they were not the same person. He knew this was his true identity, who he had been in another world, or perhaps another time, but he also refused to accept that knowledge. Alternis was a cruel, stern, abrasive individual. He treated Edea poorly, like a child, like someone he possessed. His untimely proposal to her was uncouth, and a bit disturbing to the group. Most of all, and Ringabel was unsure if this was true or not, being that he still had no memories, Alternis was a killer. He was prepared to kill the group, as well as Edea, when they made their intentions clear. He was obsessed with carrying out the Grand Marshall's orders and pleasing him. Ringabel was unsure why, whishing terribly that his memories would resurface. He had been having frustrating dreams since he saw his face in the Dark Knight's armor; flashes of people and events that did not correlate to the previous world. They had to be hints of his memory, but despite his concentration and hours mulling over these flashes, he still had no recollection.

He pulled himself back onto the Eschalot and scrubbed his hair with soap until he was sure all the previous day's dirt, blood, and grime had been removed, and dove back in again. This time the water felt warm, and he floated on his back effortlessly. He stared back up at Grandship's huge underbelly. Surely his memory would come back soon, but was he sure he wanted to remember everything? Would he go back to being Alternis Dim, or stay the same person? Edea seemed to like 'Ringabel', at least, more than she did 'Alternis'. Maybe, losing his memory was a blessing in disguise…

He clambered back onto the Eschalot and pulled the wench to ascend again. He ran a towel through his hair briefly, and then tied it around his waist. He wondered if Tiz and Agnes had finished their unusual conversation. He latched the doors back again and found Datz was gone, as were Tiz and Agnes. Seems as though they all decided to retire for the night. He pulled his loose shirt back on again, as well as his pants and walked back to the cabins. He heard soft murmurs as he approached their cabin and they silenced when he turned the knob. He supposed Tiz and Agnes weren't quite finished with their conversation when they went to rest, however now they both pretended to sleep, and Edea was just as she was when he left, only the drool spot was more pronounced on her pillow.

He laid down on the soft bed and thought of earlier. He had slipped into a deep sleep earlier in her care, now he was not sure if he would sleep at all tonight. Some nights he could sleep normally, and others not at all. Some nights, his dreams would wake him and he would stumble across the room to grab the journal, so that he could try to recall them. More than once, he had woken the others this way, as well as nearly injured himself. A few times, Edea had worriedly mentioned his sleeping habits, and he brushed them away.

'No use in everyone being concerned over my sleep. Let them sleep, I have things to ponder, perhaps even a ship to pilot, if we must move swiftly.' He thought to himself. Although, as he watched Edea's peaceful face, he wished sometimes he could join her in her dreams. If not in reality, in his dreams at least. He sighed and turned on his back.


End file.
